Region 6 South Central Georgia Opening Weekend Dove Report

A group of hunters with their take of doves at the Appling County opening day dove shoot.

Dove season is in full swing, and Georgia DNR’s Wildlife Resources Division held many dove hunts across the state this past weekend, as the season opened on Saturday, Sept. 7.

The Appling County opening day dove shoot was well attended by 48 kids plus accompanying adults. There were plenty of smiles to go around after lunch thanks to the drawing of door prizes provided by Altamaha Wildlife Association. Prizes included dove decoys, shotgun shells, hunting stools, fishing rods and tackle boxes.

The kids got some practice in before heading to the field with DNR’s laser shot simulator. We did not expect much action early on, but many started shooting shortly after entering the field. The fields had been well-prepared, despite recent heavy rain. Apparently, there were enough birds flying to keep everyone interested.

A few highlight’s from opening weekend in the region:

Rogers Farm Prison dove fields had 229 hunters sign in.

River Bend WMA dove fields had 51 hunters attend.

Dixon Memorial WMA had an estimated 20 hunters.

This coming weekend we have a quota adult/child dove hunt at the Georgia Department of Corrections Indian Ford Farm near Lyons. This hunt was well attended last year, and we anticipate another good hunt this year with lots of birds.

WMAs in Region 6, south central Georgia, are starting to dry out some. Road work has begun at Dixon Memorial and other WMAs as the water continues to recede. Wildlife openings are being prepared for fall food plots as well.